Alex Roddie

Another new author to me and I found some of his descriptive writing quite sparky.  He's good at characters too, even in a short story like this one.

Crowley's Rival

Amazon .com  Crowley's Rival

My review -

This is my first venture into the world of Alex Roddie; a world of historical mountaineering adventures. I feel precarious here. I wear flat shoes and I occasionally fall off kerb edges! However, I soon discovered when reading this short story, that there is much more to his writing than the mechanics and techniques of mountain climbing. This story - a precursor to a full length novel, gives us a meeting between two great mountain climbers who immediately struck up an antipathy. Each was egotistical and cocky about his prowess and each was sure he was the best.

The characters, within the limits of a short story, were well developed. I can see why they disliked one another. I wouldn't have taken to either! Their enmity was strong enough to put other lives in danger. Apart from the interpersonal relationships we see here, there's a great deal to be admired in the writing. It's never less than competent and in places, it glows. It's easy to be swept up in Alex Roddie's admiration for the solitude of high places, the grandeur and beauty of the long views and the sound of rushing water. A short read, but a great one.